Kombucha update

saved1986

In seaerch of spicy food
Joined
Aug 8, 2009
Now that they pulled it off the shelves, there are brands coming bak. A buddy of mine in NYC bought a bottle. He said it did not taste the same. More sugar and less fermentation. This tells me the powers that be pulled it because people were getting positive benefits from it.
 

ecochuck

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Aug 17, 2010
They should have shown the correct amount of alcohol in it on the label when they were selling it for people who are concerned about it. The amount matters since there are laws about selling alcoholic beverages.
 

u&iraok

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No wonder I couldn't find it at the health food store! What's going on? It's because of a little alcohol? I can't tolerate alcohol and it had no effect on me. Will they try and reformulate and bring it back? Or is it really because it's unpasteurized?
 

saved1986

In seaerch of spicy food
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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
No wonder I couldn't find it at the health food store! What's going on? It's because of a little alcohol? I can't tolerate alcohol and it had no effect on me. Will they try and reformulate and bring it back? Or is it really because it's unpasteurized?

It was pulled because they said the alcohol thing. It had alcohol, but very little. The real reason it was pulled was because people were getting benefits from it. If only 1000 people a yr improved on kombucha, that would cost big pharma a billion dollars.
 

u&iraok

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I hope it comes back. It was the one fermented thing I was taking. I guess I'll go back to kefir--I love kefir but for some odd reason when I switched from using pasteurized milk to using raw milk I couldn't get it to work. Guess I'll try again.

I'd like to make my own kombucha but you need the mother.
 

saved1986

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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
I hope it comes back. It was the one fermented thing I was taking. I guess I'll go back to kefir--I love kefir but for some odd reason when I switched from using pasteurized milk to using raw milk I couldn't get it to work. Guess I'll try again.

I'd like to make my own kombucha but you need the mother.
That could be taken a few different ways: :D


You might want to try rejuvanitive foods saurkraut. Fermented and unpastuerized
 

just me

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u&iroak, I dont remember where, but I read recently how to actually start your own starter for kombucha tea... Surley its on line somewhere. I will go thru my files again and see if i saved it.

The amount of alcohol in it, is going to be about the same amount as fermented apple cider vinegar... nothing to worry about, unless you are lindsey lohan and trying to use it as your cover up for drinking...(wasnt she the one who supposedly started all this mess?)
 

saved1986

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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
You can buy them online, I have no info on what sources are better etc. I do know that you feel better after drinking it. But the new brands supposedly are crap.
 

u&iraok

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I just read in one of saved1986's comments that the Kombucha brought back on the market is no longer effective. Can you elaborate? I see a few videos out there entitled, "Will Store Bought Kombucha No Longer Be Raw?" but I can't listen to a video right now. I did find this one article that says that this brand is still raw and unpasteurized:



First Raw Kombucha Back on the Market: High Country Kombucha

by Dane Halter on 07/27/10

As many of you already know raw, unpasteurized kombucha was voluntarily pulled from distribution in June due to concerns over alcohol content exceeding legal limits for unregulated beverages. This has left a gaping hole in supply of raw kombucha with demand higher than ever.
Well, worry no longer Kombucha drinkers & grocers, High Country Kombucha has revamped their formulas and undergone all the appropriate testing and legalities necessary to once again sell their raw, unpasteurized kombucha. This brand of raw, organic, fair trade Kombucha is back on shelves this week!
The results of scientific tests (in a TTB certified lab) show that High Country Kombuchas are well under the legal alcohol limit of 0.5% when aged to the extent of their shelf life (9 months). High Country has decreased the amount of yeast in their kombucha to guarantee that it will not exceed 0.5% alcohol while on the shelf. This has had the added effect of decreasing the vinegar taste, meaning the fermented beverage will now appeal to more customers.

Before their voluntary recall mid-June, High Country Kombucha was the second best-selling brand of kombucha in the US market. The category leader and most of the newer brands on the market have not provided ETAs on when they will be able to supply their products again. This is due to the fact that all raw kombuchas will need to be reformulated & tested to guarantee the <0.5% alcohol standard. High Country is able to be first back on the shelves b/c their products never contained the high amounts of juices (and therefore sugars), which increase fermentation on the shelf and lead to elevated alcohol levels. High Country needed only to tweak their formula to guarantee that the alcohol level doesn't elevate above 0.5% on the shelf. Many of the other brands will need longer to create new formulas and demonstrate that their products will stay under legal limits. Furthermore, many of the other brands rely heavily on juices and sugars to give them their tastes, so when they hit the shelves again, long time customers will notice a much different flavor profile (not to mention a much different state of mind since the alcohol content of brands such as GTs will have decreased considerably).

High Country Kombucha will be back in UNFI, Nature's Best and TOL/KeHE distributors this week. Retailers like Sprouts, Whole Foods, Mother's Market, Central Market, Vitamin Cottage, PCC, New Seasons, Mrs. Greens, My Organic Market, Henry's, Sun Harvest, Sunflower, Newflower, Lassens, Earth Fare and independents will be quick to follow. You can see a list of their organic, fair-trade products at https://www.hckombu.com/products.html.

Enjoy a raw, unpasteurized High County Kombucha today and get the benefits of increased energy and enhanced digestion from billions of probiotics!
 

saved1986

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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
They brought back GT and SYNERGY brand kombucha: If it is unpasteurized, I sure do not see it. the old stuff sometimes would basically shoot of the bottle when you opened it. Not so with the new stuff. Much less fizz. About a yr ago, I accidently left a bottle in a bag after buying it, so it warmed up to room temperature. It shot the stuff through the SEALED cap all over the bag. The new stuff if you let it warm up gives a faint hiss when opening the cap.
 

saved1986

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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
Also, the vingear taste means it was frementing and live.
 

u&iraok

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I had one shoot out of the bottle a couple months ago. The GREEN one. Green stuff EVERYWHERE. A few days ago I opened one and it started coming up over the top and I hurried and poured it into a glass. The label still says 'raw, unpasteurized'.
 

kind2creatures

...elusive dreamer
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Location
USA
I just tried some Kombucha for the first time ever, really tasted much better than I expected. I bought the GT's Organic Raw Botanic #9 with bilberry, honeysuckle and red clover. $2.50 for 16oz.

Saved are you still drinking Kombucha, and if so, what brand do you use? Have you had any particular benefits from it that were noticeable?

Ted, thank you very much for the helpful links, I may attempt to make some on my own someday.
 

saved1986

In seaerch of spicy food
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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
K2C I used the synergy and GT brands (same company). The stuff is now dead (artificially carbonated). If anyone finds a brand that is live that would be great. One day 2 yrs in the hospital my dad was having a bad day. I gave him a dixie cup of the old stuff (the good one that was alive) and when I went in the next morning he was doing great. Also, with the old stuff, if you drank 1/2 a bottle, you just felt good.
 

kind2creatures

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Saved, I'd love to try the 'old stuff'. What was the brand name? If I came across something good somewhere, how would I identify it? Anything to look for?
 

saved1986

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Aug 8, 2009
Original Poster
Saved, I'd love to try the 'old stuff'. What was the brand name? If I came across something good somewhere, how would I identify it? Anything to look for?

They brought it back as the original name and bottle (GT and Synergy) but it is not the same. The old stuff was ALIVE, when you opened the bottl esome would fizz out. Once I left a bottle in a gym bag (unopened) and a few hrs later when I returned it was all over the bag. The new stuff just puffs at best.
 

kind2creatures

...elusive dreamer
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Location
USA
They brought it back as the original name and bottle (GT and Synergy) but it is not the same. The old stuff was ALIVE, when you opened the bottl esome would fizz out. Once I left a bottle in a gym bag (unopened) and a few hrs later when I returned it was all over the bag. The new stuff just puffs at best.
The stuff I had today just fizzed to the neck of the bottle, I tightened the cap a bit to stop it, because I expected it to overflow. I did that a couple of times, and then it didn't foam up anymore. Guess if you want the good stuff, you have to make it yourself...although I'll keep my eyes open.
 

just me

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Apr 9, 2006
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im lost, have no idea
I have a couple of friends of a yahoo group list mailing me scobies so that I can start making my own again....If I can keep it alive, when ya'll are ready to start making your own, let me know and I can send you baby scobies
 

4Peanuts

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Mar 20, 2011
Chemical reaction??????

I was told by Health professionals that you should not touch bentonite clay with metal (spoon, utensils, etc.) I was also told you should not touch Kombucha with any metals either. Not sure if this is true. ??????
 

just me

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Apr 9, 2006
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im lost, have no idea
From everything I have been told, you are not suppose to use metal on the kombucha... glass bowl and wooden spoon...when i first had the kombucha going, i had it in a glass gallon jar
 

kind2creatures

...elusive dreamer
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Location
USA
Mold

I bought a couple of bottles of GT's organic raw Kombucha yesterday. I usually look for bottles with the most culture strands on the bottom. These two had a lot, and not only a whitish, but a grey appearance.

The one I opened and drank fizzed over the most I've ever seen, had to keep tightening the cap over and over. The thick strands at the bottom were pretty solid as I drank it, like wetted down dustbunnies. :shock: My husband suggested that it might be mold in there, and not good to drink. My stomach did feel a bit funny afterwards, but that might have all been mental.

Anyone else have this, should I return the other bottle and go with one that looks more white at the bottom? The drink itself is Botanic No.7, reddish in color with hibiscus, orange peel, chamomle and ginger. The expiration date is 11-29-11.
 


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